Rarely does the schedule set up so sweetly as to provide one of the season’s best matchups in a premier environment at a pivotal point of the season.
And yet, the lacrosse gods have bestowed such a gift as the Denver Outlaws host the New York Atlas in a battle of the top two teams in the league in the penultimate week of the season. Each side is fighting to secure first place in its respective conference and providing a potential championship preview.
Here’s what to watch for in Saturday’s heavy-hitting showdown on ABC (1 p.m. ET):
Will the Outlaws get goalie’d again?
The one real Achilles’ heel for Denver this season has been its shooting. Throughout the team’s six-game winning streak, the shots have been falling at a strong clip. The Outlaws are third in the league in shooting percentage while leading in scoring and shots taken.
But shooting can be fickle, and earlier this season, Denver lost a winnable game to the Carolina Chaos because of a historic performance between the pipes by Blaze Riorden. He made 25 saves in that Week 2 tilt, stifling a quickly improving Outlaws attack.
Denver obviously has the talent to score at will against anyone, especially with Brennan O’Neill elevating from good to supernova in the last month, but an elite goalie and some cold shooting could strike at any moment. If there’s anyone other than Riorden who could steal a game from the red-hot Outlaws, it’s New York’s Liam Entenmann.
Entenmann’s first career start came against Denver, and he made 14 saves and allowed just four goals as New York crushed the Outlaws 17-4. This is a better Denver team and offense, but Entenmann in MVP form is good enough to win a game by himself. – Topher Adams
Pat Kavanagh vs. Liam Entenmann
For the first time in their professional careers, Kavanagh and Entenmann will face off against each other. The duo was the backbone of a Notre Dame program that captured two national championships during their tenure in South Bend.
Pat and his younger brother Chris both stated at a PLL Roundtable that Entenmann is by far the best goalie that either of them has taken shots on because of his athletic ability.
Kavanagh comes into this game tied for second in the league in points (34), while Entenmann comes in as the league leader in save percentage at 59.1%. The matchup between the two will be a game of chess rather than checkers. Both players understand each other’s tendencies as a shooter and goalkeeper, but a key factor will be how New York’s defense plays Kavanagh as either a distributor or a scorer. – Paul Lamonaca
Who will cement their final MVP argument?
Saturday will be the Outlaws’ final game of the regular season, meaning in addition to securing the top seed in the West, it’ll be Denver’s final push for individual accolades. Three different Outlaws were named in Adam Lamberti’s MVP Power Rankings, with Pat Kavanagh as the second favorite for the honors.
The other top candidates will get a season finale to cement themselves in voters’ minds, but for Kavanagh, O’Neill and Logan McNaney, this is a final stretch to show the lacrosse world what an MVP looks like.
Saturday could well decide the MVP race regardless of which Outlaw takes control. Three Atlas players – Entenmann, Connor Shellenberger and Jeff Teat – are firmly in the conversation and capable of winning a game of this magnitude by themselves.
If any of these stars for Denver or New York can take over the game, there won’t be a stronger MVP statement this season. – Topher Adams
Can Trevor Baptiste reassert his dominance?
Over the last two contests, New York has fallen short at the faceoff stripe. In its game against the California Redwoods, TD Ierlan won 69% of his first-half faceoffs against Baptiste, helping keep the game tied at half.
Ierlan then was injured during the second half, which allowed Baptiste to pile up faceoff wins and ultimately led to a New York victory.
In the next game against the Maryland Whipsnakes, Baptiste had his worst outing in five years, winning just 31.8% of his attempts at the stripe.
Denver’s Luke Wierman is facing off at 52.7% on the season, and he got the better end of Baptiste in their 2024 matchup, going 60% against the seasoned veteran despite Denver losing the game 17-4.
In any lacrosse game, possessions matter, but with two high-powered offenses going head-to-head, one extra possession might be the deciding factor. – Paul Lamonaca
